Stand By Me
by Emmeebee
Summary: Celestina and her cousin Trudy were inseparable as children, working hard to achieve their dreams together. But the very thing they bonded over ends up being the thing that pulls them apart. When the going gets tough, Celestina's commitment to stand by Trudy is tested.


A/N: Written by Chaser 1 of the Montrose Magpies for QLFC Round 6.

The Magpies' prompt was: 'August: Write about Ginny Weasley, Dolores Umbridge, Celestina Warbeck, Percy Weasley, or Porpentina Goldstein,' and I chose Celestina Warbeck.

Optional prompts: (object) soccer ball; (song) _Stand by Me_ by Ben E. King; (colour) cream

All of the lyrics in this were written by me.

Thank you so much to Emiliya Wolfe, Cookies-and-Ink, and The Lady Rogue for betaing.

Word count: 2998

* * *

 _ **Ten years old, Cardiff**_

Eyeing her cousin warily, Celestina shuffled back and forth in front of the goalposts as she tried to cover as much ground as she could. Gertrude was juggling the football between her knees and feet with a fluidity that spoke of years of practice. At the moment, however, Tina couldn't appreciate her cousin's skill. All she could think about was how much she wanted the girl to score the goal so they could finish playing and do something else instead.

"Today, it's my turn to pick what we do," Trudy had pointed out when she arrived at the Warbecks' house that morning, "and I pick football."

 _Big surprise,_ Tina had thought, but she hadn't said anything. After all, she couldn't complain; when it was her turn, she always chose to sing along to her mum's phonograph.

Besides, she didn't mind the sport. It was just frustrating to lose all the time.

Like now, for example. Trudy had been so far ahead in the score that they'd agreed that the next goal would decide the match, not that that had helped Tina much.

"Come on, Trudy," Tina said, exasperation seeping into her voice as she rested her hands on her hips. "We both know there's no way I'm going to stop—"

The ball went whizzing past her head and into the net with a soft _swish_.

"Good game," Tina said because, apparently, that was what people said after playing sport.

"You too. You know, if I hadn't distracted you at the end there, you might have stopped the goal."

Tina rolled her eyes. "I doubt it."

Still, she couldn't help but smile back. She knew how passionate her cousin was about football; it was the same way she felt about singing. Since before she could remember, she'd dreamed of performing on grand stages while Trudy had dreamed of being a professional football player. For two girls with such different interests, they really were like peas in a pod: the same ambitious streak, the same dislike of their birth names, and the same toothy grin.

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts," Tina said as she collected the ball and started tossing it between her hands. "Dad told me all about Gryffindor Tower the other day. Can you imagine it—living in an actual _castle_? It'll be like we're princesses!"

Trudy reached up and slid off the bandana she was wearing. Cream in colour and embroidered with images of fairies and unicorns, it was somehow plain and pretty at the same time. Ever since Tina's parents had given it to her as a birthday present, she'd worn it everywhere.

As Tina watched, she ran a hand through her hair to fluff it before feeding it through the bandana once more.

Tina frowned; her cousin only did that when she was feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure I want to go," Trudy said slowly. "It's alright for you; you can sing and dance anywhere. All you need is an empty room."

"The empty part is optional," Tina joked, her mind reeling.

Trudy gave her a weak smile. "But they don't have a football program. And even if they let me go home each weekend to play, I wouldn't be able to train. If I go—"

"If you go, you'll be giving up your dream." Tina had never thought about that before. The girls were both half-bloods, so they were used to having the best of both worlds: the magic and convenience of the wizarding world and the sports and culture of the Muggle one. She'd never imagined they might one day have to give one of them up.

Or that they might choose differently when they did.

-x-

 _ **Fifteen years old, Hogwarts**_

Tina sighed and crumpled up the parchment she'd been writing on, tossing it to the floor beside her bed. She set another piece in front of her and strummed a few notes on her guitar. " _The challenges which_ —no, that doesn't work either."

Words usually came easily to her; it was like they were floating around her head, just waiting for her to reach out and arrange them as she pleased. Rhymes, rhythm, and melody were as much a part of her as her very body.

This time, however, it felt different. When the Headmaster had announced that there would be a competition to write the new school song, everyone had assumed that Tina would win. Singing was her passion, after all. However, even though she'd dedicated her spare time to it for the last few weeks, she was drawing a blank.

The restrictions the Headmaster had placed on the song were so limiting that she didn't know where to start. She wasn't allowed to reference school traditions like sneaking into the kitchens or up to the Astronomy Tower; the professors thought it would set a bad example for the first years. She couldn't allude to the inter-house rivalry in anything other than a positive light. And she was, without a doubt, absolutely _not_ allowed to joke about the dangers of putting hundreds of magical children with poor impulse control in close proximity to one another.

Her only option was to make 'books good; school good' sound as interesting and creative as possible.

For the first time in years, she wished Trudy was there with her. Her cousin was excellent at giving advice; she would know what to say to give Tina a new perspective on the situation.

But Trudy had gotten her wish to stay home instead of going to Hogwarts. Her parents were homeschooling her, alternating their days off work so her dad could teach her magic while her mum taught her about the Muggle world.

None of Tina's friends could understand why Trudy would choose not to go to Hogwarts, but then again, none of them were half-bloods. They were purebloods who didn't know any different or Muggle-borns who couldn't imagine _not_ wanting to learn about magic.

But Tina got it. Whether it was directed at sports or music, ambition was ambition. And from what everyone said, Trudy had the potential to go far.

Of course, that meant they rarely saw one another anymore. They hadn't been there for one another's first dates, friendship dramas, or big accomplishments. Letters and Floo calls were lovely, but they weren't the same as being in the same room.

Sometimes, Tina feared she would forget the sound of her cousin's voice.

Switching to a minor chord to match her falling mood, she sang, _"When everything is said and done, boarding schools are not that fun."_

Maybe she should put the guitar away and try again another day.

-x-

 _ **Nineteen years old, New York**_

The crowd's screams were deafening as Celestina bowed with a flourish before sashaying her way backstage, a broad beam on her face. Nothing in the world felt better than singing to an audience of thousands and hearing them bellow words she'd written right back to her. Her lyrics immortalised the best and worst moments in her life, and coming from their mouths, they all sounded beautiful.

Sweat coated her, its smell following like an angry ghost, but she didn't care. In that moment, she was flying.

She took her time backstage, stopping to hug and thank everybody she passed. It was the last show of the tour, and she was so grateful for the hard work they had put into making it a success. Nay, not a success—a _phenomenon_. If this was what her first world tour looked like, she couldn't wait to see her twentieth! She hoped she still felt the same rush then that she did now.

When she finished doing the rounds, she Apparated back to the lobby of the hotel she was staying in while she was in town. It wasn't as swanky as she'd imagined when she was a little girl, but it was still far fancier than anywhere she'd ever been before.

Back home, she was Tina: the girl with a dream that was as unrealistic as it was magnificent. She would have been like a newborn fawn in places like this, all spindly legs and poor coordination. Here, however, she was Celestina: a young woman who had achieved her goals with determination, poise, and no small amount of charm, and who strode through hotel lobbies with purpose.

Even the name itself sounded distinguished. There were other 'Tina's in the world, but she was yet to meet another Celestina.

As far as she was concerned, the world had never met someone like her before. It was her oyster, and she was eager to harvest its pearls for her collection.

-x-

 _ **Twenty-two years old, Cardiff**_

Celestina pressed down on the keys of the piano, trying to drown out the sound of voices coming from the other room. Every so often, she paused to make a note on the parchment resting on the stool beside her.

" _They say home is where your heart is. What a quaint sentiment. But what happens when your heart is a flighty, bad tenant?"_ she sang under her breath, not wanting anyone to hear her.

She had returned home from her second world tour, and she was having trouble adjusting. The small, modest Cardiff townhouse felt stifling after the busyness and wonder of life abroad. Yet at the same time, she'd missed so many important moments. Despite their best efforts, every time her family talked about things that had happened while she was at Hogwarts or on tour, she felt lost and confused. Inside jokes had been hatched, grown, and taught to fly, and attempts to explain why they were funny were peppered with comments like, "It's a long story," and, "I guess you just had to be there."

Celestina knew that Trudy understood. Her cousin was away almost as much as she was due to football, which took her all around the United Kingdom. Still, while understanding was all well and good, it did little to bridge the gap that was growing between them. Even when they were in the same place at the same time, which was rare in and of itself, they couldn't seem to relate to one another like they used to. Karaoke felt childish now, and playing football against a professional sportswoman wasn't appealing either.

Even more fundamentally, while Celestina spent most of her life in the wizarding world, Trudy spent most of hers in the Muggle one. Everything was different; from the news they heard, to the way they lived, to the people they spent time with.

Her fingers darted across the keys as she settled into the melody. Picturing the thousands of faces staring up at her at her last show, their features lit up by their raised wands, she finished, _"I say home is where your mind goes when you're fast asleep. That means my home is here with all of you in thought and mind and deed."_

She loved her family, and she always missed them when she was travelling. Nevertheless, now that she was home, all she wanted was to be gone again.

-x-

 _ **Twenty-six years old, Paris**_

Music blared through the flat, its bass beat so loud that it felt like it was seared into Celestina's very being. She was dancing with her husband, Owen, letting him spin her around and around, her dress flaring out in a kaleidoscope of colour. Things had been tense between them lately, but after her success at the award show that morning, she felt as in love with him as ever. Her friends—all fellow celebrities, of course—danced around them, celebrating and letting off steam in turn.

"Celestina! Celestina!"

Brushing her hair out of her face, she turned at the sound of the frustration in her manager's voice. "Steven, what is it?"

"An owl arrived for you. I tried to send her away, but she wouldn't leave without seeing you."

She sighed. "Alright, then. Where is she?"

Steven led her over to the window, where a barn owl was sitting on a perch, ruffling her feathers and hooting in protest with each beat of the music.

Celestina's eyes widened as she recognised the creature as her uncle's owl. Her cousin didn't have an owl herself since she lived in the heart of Muggle London, where such animals were uncommon, so she used her father's owl when she needed to contact Celestina.

"Awena?" she asked, hurrying forward. Pulling her wand out, she cast a quick charm to lower the volume of the music—causing a sea of protests from the dancers—before taking the letter from the grateful owl's leg.

To her surprise, it wasn't written in her cousin's handwriting, but her uncle's. Frowning, she read it, dread rising within her the further she went. She had to read it twice before the words sunk in, and even then, all she could make out was 'Trudy', 'sick', 'not terminal', and 'had to take time off football'.

"Celestina?" Steven asked, sounding concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I have to go." Turning to Awena, she said, "There's no need to wait for a response; I'll go there myself. Do you want to fly or come with me?"

Shooting an annoyed look at the phonograph, which was still playing loudly, even if it no longer blared, the owl shook her feathers once more before flying off into the night.

"Celestina, these people are here for you. You can't just—"

Celestina had no time for explanations; her cousin needed her. "This is me we're talking about. I can do whatever I want. Owen will let them out when they're done. Give him this letter; he'll understand."

With that, she Apparated away.

-x-

 _ **Twenty-six years old, London**_

When Trudy opened the front door, Celestina struggled to keep a grimace from her face. Her cousin looked awful. Her hair was lanky and unwashed, her face was wan, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Whatever this illness was, it had been going on for longer than her uncle had let on.

"You're here," Trudy said, sounding surprised. The two words were simple and innocent, yet they hit Celestina like an accusation.

"You need me," Celestina replied, trying not to let the hurt seep into her voice. "Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"

Had Trudy seriously expected her to stay away? Celestina had taken it for granted that no matter how far apart they wandered, they would be there for one another when it mattered. It was circumstances, not feelings, that had separated them, after all.

Still, Trudy dithered. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be a very good hostess."

Rolling her eyes, Celestina asked, "Do you honestly think I care about that? Trudy, are you going to let me in or not?"

A smile flashed across her cousin's face, and she stepped back to allow Celestina to follow her inside.

Celestina let out a huff of breath as she saw the living room for the first time. It was cosy, with a warm colour scheme and a haphazard asymmetry to the furnishings. A display cabinet stood in a corner, housing quite the collection of trophies, medals, and photographs.

None of them moved, but as Celestina drew nearer, one of them caught her eye. She hadn't seen it in a long time, but she remembered that day vividly. It was of her and Trudy as young girls, standing together in the garden with those matching toothy grins. Trudy was wearing that old cream bandana, and Tina was holding the football under one arm. It had been the first—and last—time she'd won one of their matches, and even though she was sure that Trudy had been going easy on her, they'd both been over the moon.

"That was a good day," Trudy said from behind her.

They'd been so young back then—so naïve. They'd never realised what the consequences of achieving their dreams might be. And while Celestina wouldn't give up her career for anything, she did wish that she'd spent a little more time simply enjoying her family back then.

Celestina fought back a sob. "I know I shouldn't say this when you're the one who's sick, but I'm terrified."

Trudy reached out to touch the glass in front of the photograph, her fingers leaving a mark—the kind of imperfection that Celestina would have railed against had she found it at one of her properties. "How long will you be in town?"

Celestina had commitments upon commitments, but right now, none of that was important. They would be there waiting for her when she returned, pretending she'd just been having a diva moment. The public saw her as temperamental and self-centred; nobody would question it. "For as long as you need me."

"Then I'm not scared. I never have been; not when I chose not to go to Hogwarts for a pipe dream, or when the United Kingdom banned women's football and we played anyway, or now that everything's starting to crumble. Do you know why?"

Celestina shook her head.

"Because of my parents, and your parents—and you, Tina. Throughout it all, you've all been there, standing by my side. Even when you weren't physically there, the knowledge that you had faith in me helped me push through it. And it's going to help me push through this as well." Trudy grinned. "Just promise me you won't write a song about this—or, if you do, that you let me approve it first."

Celestina winced, remembering her family's reaction to the song _Home is Where Your Mind Goes_. By the time she'd recorded it, it had become much more cutting than she'd originally intended, causing quite a stir among her family. "I think I can manage that."

Trudy made her way over to the sofa, settling into the cushions with a sigh of relief. Celestina followed her.

"Tell me everything; leave nothing out," Tina said. They'd never stopped communicating, but her life had been moving so quickly that she hadn't been able to truly listen.

She could now.


End file.
